MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Some families involved in last month’s Windsor Green fire got a special treat before and during Wednesday night’s Pelican’s game.
One of the highlights of the night was when three-year-old Cade Alewine threw out the first pitch and 16-year-old Blake Cannon caught it.
On the night of the fire, Cannon ran over to the burning building and saw Brian Alewine on a third floor balcony with his wife and two sons, Cade and Jace.
“We didn’t even know who they were,” said Cannon, who now sees Cade as a younger brother.
Alewine dropped Cade and Cannon caught him. He described what went through his head in that moment: “When i dropped Jace, my oldest one, I thought that might be it. Me and my wife, we might not get out. I said I love you and I dropped him.”
Alewine and his wife jumped and they all survived, though his wife still remains in the hospital. Alewine said the fire changed his perspective.
“It’s the little things now that mean the most,” he added. “There’s things you used to worry about ,you don’t worry about them anymore.”
In addition to throwing out the first pitch, Cannon’s family joined with the Alewine family on a behind the scenes tour of TicketReturn.com Field.
“He is a hero,” said Candice LaFond about her son. “It could’ve been a totally different situation and thank God it wasn’t. We’re standing here on a nice day at a Pelican’s game, get to spend time with Cade and his family and just enjoy it to try to get past this horrible thing that happened.”
While Cade may not remember everything his family has gone through in the past few weeks, his father said he will tell the story down the road.
“Maybe he’ll remember the good stuff and not the bad stuff in this,” added Alewine.
The Pelican’s hosted two nights of fundraisers for the victims of the Windsor Green fire. As of Wednesday night they raised $2,000 in addition to other items donated.